Outlaw Knitters

Holiday Knitting

2011-12-27T14:44:00.011-06:00

How many of you knit in lines while waiting to check out during the holidays? This time of year everywhere I go is crowded, so I always have a sock bag with me with a pair a ongoing socks in it. The nice thing about the sock bags I use is that they have a handle on them. That makes it easy for me to put it on my wrist and knit while standing in line. My favorite socks bags are like these:

My friend Mel makes these for me. She's such a talented seamstress, I keep telling her she should open her own Etsy shop, but she hasn't done it yet. The handle is large enough to fit over your hand and it tends to stay on your wrist while you knit. So everywhere I went this holiday season, the sock knitting went with me. Standing in line at the grocery store, at department stores, wherever. It's amazing how much sock knitting you can get done that way!

There were places that I stood in line as much as forty-five minutes, and instead of getting all stressed out, I just stood there and knitted on my sock. Which garnered quite a few comments, as you can imagine. Children especially seemed quite fascinated by the whole process of my standing there knitting. And, surprisingly, a lot of men seemed quite intrigued by it as well. Especially older men. I actually had a man about seventy-five years old ask me when his socks were going to be finished! He was quite funny and we chatted while I knitted and we waited in line.

The thing that amazes me about knitting in long lines like that is how much conversation it can generate as well. There is nothing like fun or funny conversations to make the time go faster and to remind you that is really is a special time of year. Slowing down and doing something to de-stress can really make you feel much happier about the holidays instead just upset about all the things you still have to do.

I hope you all had a great holiday, and I wish you happiness and lots of knitting in the new year.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:32:00.010-05:00

Today is the day for us to feed all the neighborhood children too much candy and allow them to run wild through the streets dressed as their favorite character. I don't know about where you live, but for me I can't possibly get any knitting done with the constant having to answer the door to give out candy. I love the really little kids. They are always so darling in their little costumes, many of them too shy to even say Trick or Treat, so Mom or Dad has to say it.

I did finish my Halloween socks. Every October first I start a pair, and it is the knitting I carry with me all month while I'm waiting at doctor's offices, etc. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't do well knitting socks at home. I find it tedious to knit them for more than an hour or so. I generally work on larger projects at home, like sweaters or shawls, and carry socks with me as my outlaw knitting. They are easy and portable. I knit Halloween socks in October, since people always comment on my knitting. So when people ask, it's fun to say that I'm knitting Halloween socks and show them. I'm calling this particular pair "Frankenstein's Brew Socks". The yarn is from Dyelectable Yarns http://dyelectableyarns.bigcartel.com/ and the color was one of a run of self-striping Halloween colors she did. This one was called "Radioactive Brew". It reminds me so much of Frankenstein, that I've taken to calling them my Frankenstein socks. These are the socks I was knitting at the Pumpkin Festival, you can just barely see the colors of them in that post, in case you were curious.

Here is a close up of the pattern. Don't you just love the way it makes those little up and down ridges with the little yarn overs down the row? Very clever pattern and it was a really fun knit. The repeats of the pattern are easy to memorize, and they literally felt like they flew off my needles. The pattern is a free one from Knitty.com called Broadripple http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer03/PATTbroadripple.html.

I hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Friends, Knitting and Pumpkins

2011-10-25T12:37:00.034-05:00

Located in Southern California, in a suburb of the San Fernando Valley, lies a small city called Calabasas. They are famous for their annual Pumpkin Festival. Having lived near the city for more than twenty years, it's not something I go to regularly. But this year was special. A friend that I "know" from Ravelry was traveling through our state while on vacation with her husband.
She lives in Chicago, so she was a long way from home, and this may be our only chance to actually meet face to face. When she found out about the Pumpkin Festival, she scheduled in a Saturday of her vacation to go and for us to meet up there, in person, for the very first time. You see, Michelle has a serious thing for pumpkin. It's one of her favorite foods, so the idea of a festival with food booths and pumpkin themes was a wonderland to her.

Saturday dawned a little foggy and cool, but being Southern California it burned off by ten am or so. I arrived at the gate of the Pumpkin Festival, excited to finally meet up with her. We were texting back and forth on our phones trying to locate each other. We finally found one another and we were off on our adventure of exploring every booth, exhibit and pumpkin food concoction ever thought up.

One of the most interesting food items that we found was a pumpkin whoopie pie. I just had to take a picture of it to show people. Isn't it amazing what food creations people can come up with when there is a theme involved? I didn't try the whoopie pie but Michelle did. She said it was good but very rich. We also sampled pumpkin cakes, pies, cheesecake, cookies, scones and a score of other pumpkin goodies. There were even things like Pumpkin Olive Oil, Pumpkin Spice Vinegar, Pumpkin Salsa and other oddities.

When it came time for lunch, we weren't all that hungry, but the food choices were endless. I don't know what it's like where you live, but in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, Food Trucks are big business. They have competitions, cook offs and you can actually get a Twitter feed from your favorite food truck so you can find it when you have a craving for it. Every time they change their location during the day, they post it on Twitter. (Just for the record, I don't follow any food truck tweets.)

The Pumpkin Festival had scores of Food Trucks. They were all parked toward the back side of the festival, so we headed that direction. There were so many choices! Besides the typical Fair foods, like funnel cakes, kettle corn, and deep fried items, you could have Thai food, barbecue, Mexican food, pulled pork, smoked tri-tip roast or chicken, burgers and fries and endless other choices. Michelle and I settled on splitting a Chicken Quesadilla from the Mexican food truck and were fortunate enough to find an empty table with an umbrella for shade. Which was a good thing, because at this point it was about ninety degrees and we were hot, thirsty and needed to sit a bit.

We also met up with another Ravelry friend while we were there. She and her family go to the Pumpkin Festival every year, she lives right there in Calabasas. So Dani met up with us while we were eating and took a few minutes away from her kids and the rest of her family to chat with us. I met Dani on Ravelry several years ago, and when we realized we only lived ten minutes from each other, we have been best friends ever since.

Of course, being good little Outlaw Knitters, we both had sock knitting with us, so after we ate we sat in the shade, resting and chatting and knitting on our socks. Both of us had cast on Halloween socks a few days before, which we thought was amusing.

After our rest we went and explored another section of the festival. Here we bought matching Calabasas Pumpkin Festival tee shirts. That's Michelle in the picture holding hers up. That was at the booth for the City of Calabasas. I also bought a canvas bag with a pumpkin on it because we all know that you just can't have too many knitting bags!

Sadly, before we knew it, the day was over and it was time for us to go.

We had a great time, even if it was hot, and said our goodbyes. Is there anything better than meeting up with friends and spending the day chatting, eating and knitting? I don't think so.

National I Love Yarn Day!

2011-10-14T15:10:00.005-05:00

October 14th is national I Love Yarn Day! This year is the first year of this declared holiday. Who thought it up? The Craft Yarn Council. Yes, there really is such a thing. According to their website the purpose of I Love Yarn Day is to: Show it off, tag with it, carry it, gather with friends. Declare your LOVE! Get involved. While I Love Yarn Day is a time to share your passion by knitting or crocheting in public and teaching others how to engage in your craft of choice, it is also a time to get more involved in charity crafting and use social media to share your wares and love for yarn.

Whoever thought this up deserves a medal. Who loves yarn more than knitters? So go out in public with your knitting and show everyone you support this commemorative day brought to us by the Yarn Craft Council.

:)

2010-05-19T22:38:00.004-05:00

opps

I may have gone a little too far...

2010-05-05T15:53:00.003-05:00

Let me preface this by saying that I never go anywhere without my knitting. I have sock knitting projects in both my car and my hubby's, just in case I get out somewhere and don't have a project with me. When the sock gets to where I'm turning the heel, it comes into the house and another sock project is put into the car to take it's place.

There is nothing worse to me than being out somewhere and needing to kill more than 15 minutes and not having knitting with me.

Okay. So now for the rest of the post. I was sent to a Cardiovascular surgeon because of problems with my legs. It's turns out I have to have a series of four surgeries, four weeks apart. When asking about the surgery, he said that it is done under local anesthesia, and it takes approximately 2 hours. Here is how the conversation proceeded after that:

Me: "Can I drive myself or do I need a ride?"
Doctor: "It depends on the patient. Some are more stressed about things like this than others, and need to be given something."
Me: "Can I knit during the surgery?"
Doctor: Who at this point is looking a little stunned "You mean like with needles and yarn?" (Now mind you, I've been sitting in his office knitting during this whole conversation)
Me: "Yeah. Like what I'm doing now."
Doctor: "Well, you'll be laying down."
Me: "That's okay, I can knit laying down, too."
Doctor: "You aren't going to need a ride home. I'm pretty sure you won't need the Ativan."

I stil haven't gotten a definitive answer if they will let me knit or not. The poor doctor looked a little shell-shocked. But I plan to resume the conversation at my next visit. I'll keep you posted.

Oh The Horror!

2009-01-23T14:22:00.003-06:00

I am a fairly young woman. 33 isn't all that old. Of course ask my kids and I am borderline senior citizen. I am also fairly new to the yarn arts. I learned to crochet years ago but only a single stitch. I have been working on expanding my talents. In December of 08 I got a wild hair up my bum and taught myself to knit. And I love it. I still crochet but I think its more difficult. Anyhow, recently I have begun knitting in public. It sounds harmless. I guess that the needles can be looked upon as weapons. My husband will certainly reconsider stealing any of my fries! But I love to knit and my schedule is hectic so I have to find my spurts.

I started out doing it at school. I attend a community college working on an accounting degree (already work as an accountant....this won't make me lose outlaw status will it?) and so before, after, and in between classes out came whatever project I had on me. But recently my addiction became stronger.

Earlier this week I went to an indian restaurant (east...not native americans). I simply love gorging on this spinach fried bread they have. I finished before my companions and proceeded to get anxious and sweat. I thought about it, got nervous. I had heard how people stared at knitters and here it was in the back of my mind. Then I bucked up, maybe I wouldn't need to worry. And who cares? I am not hurting anyone. So out came the project. And out came the stares. I could feel it all over. The couple at the table to my left were the worst. They stared until I looked up. I figured it out and finally just knitted and stared at them while they shifted nervously in their seats. I looked down a few times on the purl stitches cause I am not as comfy with those. But I never gave up. Hubby started giggling at my staredown. My father in law couldn't figure out what was going on.

Today we went to a wing place. Normally I wouldn't think to knit there BUT they gave me some handy wipes and I was nice and clean. So out the project came. Not too bad this time but two younger ladies (younger than me, 20's-ish) started pointing and giggling. This actually upset hubby to no end. That's ok. When we got up to leave we had to walk by them. I stared at the brunette's head real hard, burst into laughter and said "Babe, this one is going gray before me!!". That chick sucked in more air than a brand spanking new Hoover.

Imagine if I had a tank top of and two of my tattoo's hanging out.

The New Spooktacular Halloween Activity!

2008-11-02T18:44:00.004-06:00

Our children have been so desensitized to the horror of Halloween that commonplace handcrafts apparently scare the jeepers out of them!

My son and I headed to my mother's house for Trick-Or-Treating and helping pass out candy. She didn't have the house all decked out this year (owing to her recent skin cancer surgery) and neither of us had on costumes. My son (who is 8) was a blue ninja. Nothing scary there, right?

Wrong!

Everything was fine for this pair of little ones that came up for their candy, until they turned and saw me knitting. I have never witnessed such an abrupt change of mood. They both paused for a second, staring as if transfixed...then starting crying and wailing like some monster just stole their favorite toy away or something. They then dived behind their parents legs, continued to cry, and peek out at my knitting again.

How do I know it was the knitting and not some horrid fashion faux pas on my part? Well, when I tucked the "uber-scary" green striped dishcloth and needles away in my bag...they stopped freaking out! I was even able to coax them over for extra goodies (to make up for the "trauma"). They gave the bag with "the evil" in it a wide berth, but didn't seem opposed to more treats. The parents were confused and apologizing, to which I assured them it was no big deal. They left with only an occasional glance at "the bag with the scary stuff in it".

Who knew that a plain old, striped green dishcloth being knitted would be the epitome of horror this holiday? As a Mom, I was horrified that something I love so dearly could cause a child such distress, but on the other hand...it was so freaking strange that it caused a secret snicker deep inside.

Skeletons, Zombies, Murderers, and Monsters beware! Us Knitters own on Halloween!

Summer Is (Almost) Here

2008-05-26T11:27:00.003-05:00

Three more days of schools for the mini Outlaws. THREE! I am so happy about this. I love having my kids (and their friends) around me all summer. I love planning outings with them where I can go do some Outlaw Knitting while they enjoy whatever it is they do. I think we'll find some caves to explore again this summer, and maybe go to a few baseball games. And I think I'll make Bobbi and her little Outlaws go to the park with us and maybe the zoo in Peoria. We can watch the tigers and knit socks or something.

And Bobbi and I need to dye many yarns for our Etsy shop, Wooly Booger Yarns. If any of y'all have a shop you'd like to list on the sidebar, let me know. I'd be happy to list it for you.

bad news

2008-04-19T16:21:00.002-05:00

just want to let you all know that dearest heather my wife the crafty momma has passed away at the age of thirty two so that you all will not write and get no reply. her hubby john p,s thank you all for
being their

What's the craziest thing you have ever done for yarn?

2008-04-04T02:14:00.004-05:00

I know we have all done some crazy things in our lives. But what is the craziest thing you have ever done for yarn? I think I have gone over the top on this one. After having heard so much about Wollmeise Sock yarn, I decided that I needed to get some. The problem? It's very hard to get your hands on some of those beautiful skeins. The yarn is done by an indie dyer in Germany and she can't make it fast enough. You can order from her website, but you have to be there right when it goes up, because it will sell out fast. Within minutes.

Here in the U.S. the yarn is sold by my favorite yarn store, The Loopy Ewe. http://www.theloopyewe.com/ For those of you not familiar with this wonderful store, it is a sock knitter's heaven. She carries other yarns as well, but no one has the selection of sock yarn she does--anywhere. Sheri, the shop's owner, does what she calls "Sneak Ups" each week. If you are a regular Loopy Ewe customer, (this means you have placed six orders) she will send you an email when a certain yarn has been restocked. If you read her blog, she will tell you what will be in each week's "Sneak Up." The Sneak Ups can happen at anytime, day or night.

Here is where my quest for this hard to attain sock yarn begins. A few weeks ago we were told on The Loopy Ewe Blog there would be a Woolmeise Sneak Up sometime that week. On Ravelry in the groups is a Loopy Ewe group, and several of us began congregating on a specific thread waiting for it to happen. Monday came and went. Sheri took pity on us in the afternoon and told us there would be no Sneak Up that day. We all breathed a sigh of relief and left our computers to spend time with our families or go back to work. Someone in the group had requested that she not do it on Friday because it was her Anniversary and her husband would divorce her if she wouldn't go out because she might miss the Sneak Up. So Sheri agreed not to make on Friday. That meant it would be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

Tuesday morning found us back on the same thread in the Ravelry forum, constantly refreshing The Loopy Ewe's website page in between talking to each other. Since I work at a computer all day long, it wasn't hard for me to keep my eye on things while I got very little work done. Part way through the day on Tuesday, Sheri came on and told us the Sneak Up wouldn't be today, and so we could rest easy.

Wednesday morning came, and the group was at a fever pitch. We were so sure the Sneak Up would be today. I learned a lot listening to the other people in the group who were very experienced at these Sneak Ups. I figured out what my first choice of color was. I decided I was only going to try to get two skeins of that one color. They told stories of how stuff disappeared out of your cart before you could check out if you tried to get too much. So, I had my plan, now I just had to make sure I was online at the computer when the Sneak Up came. As the day progressed we became more and more frantic. I had become obessesed with getting that yarn. At one point there was thirteen hundred people in the Loopy Ewe Group, I believe they were all waiting for this yarn. Around dinner time, Sheri came on and told us to go have dinner with our families and basically to go away. There would be no Sneak Up tonight. But having listened to the more experienced people, I knew that meant only up until midnight. After midnight it was fair game.

So around midnight, Loopy Ewe time, we all began to congregate around the Loopy Ewe forum again. And we waited up all night. I'm not sure when I just decided to hang in there. I think somewhere around 3:00 am I realized that I'd already invested so much time into it, plus, I was having such a good time, that I was just going to stay with it. Remember being young and staying up all night camped out in front of some theatre for concert tickets? Or staying up all night for a slumber party? That's what this was like. It was fun, it was silly, we were laughing and just having a good time. And so the night progressed. My husband thought I had completely lost it. He had gone to bed at 11:00 just shaking his head at me. I didn't know what he'd think when he found out I had stayed up all night.

At 7:30 am Thursday morning, we were rewarded. The yarn suddenly appeared on a refresh of The Loopy Ewe site. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I was going to have a heart attack. It was exhilarating, scary, heart-pounding shopping. The yarn sold out within about two or three minutes. Every skein of it. I did exactly what I had planned. Found my color, put two skeins in my cart, and checked out. Here is a picture of the yarn:

Was it worth it? You bet. Now I know what everyone is talking about. The coloration is absolutely beautiful. I haven't knit with it yet, so I can't attest to how it knits up, but it does have an interesting feel to it for an 80% Wool, 20% nylon yarn. Here is the thing, though. I felt kind of bad, too. Huge amounts of people weren't able to get any. People who had been trying to get some for a year. I had gotten lucky. I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to get more, but there sure are many other colors I'd like to get my hands on.

I'm planning on knitting Cookie A.'s Monkey socks with it, only as knee socks. That's why I needed a second skein.

So, what's the craziest thing you have ever done for yarn? I'd love to hear about it. I can't be the only one this crazy for yarn.

late introduction

2008-02-25T04:32:00.002-06:00

I totally forgot that I can participate to this blog, seems like I have been too busy lately...

I'm a single mom of a lovely 3 year old boy - finally in a great relationship with an awesome man - and we live in Dortmund, Germany. Right now, I'm in a part-time education during the mornings where I can sometimes knit during classes or in the breaks. The afternoons are all for my son after he came back from Kindergarten, sometimes I can squeeze in a few minutes of simple knitting like stockinette or ribbing in socks and in the evenings, I either knit while watching TV or create things for my etsy store as stitchmarkers, handdyed yarns and knit or crochet things.

You can find more about me on my blog and I'm at Ravelry too with the name of Selana

Outlaw Workout

2008-01-15T20:54:00.001-06:00

What I wore to the gym today.

New year, new skills?

2008-01-05T18:39:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, it's Bobbi again. Has anyone made any decisions to learn any new knitting skills this year? I'm going to make socks! I also want to make some lace projects and learn to cable. Of course, I'll be KIPing as much as possible and trying to encourage others to learn.
Happy New Year!!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-20T17:08:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! I hope the season brings much love and happiness to your lives! The stress will be over soon. Please take a moment on the 29th to knit and celebrate my birthday - and have a bit of chocolate if you can! May the new year bring lots of yarns and stitches to all of you!

My favorite new line: Knit long and prosper!

Howdy!

2007-12-06T13:10:00.001-06:00

Hiya there!

I'm a newcomer from Manchester, England and I will knit just about anywhere - waiting rooms, public transport, pub, other peoples' homes. I always have a project with me 'just in case' I get a couple of moments to add a few rows.

I would also like to list my 'outlaw' credentials as I have several tattoos and am currently working my way through a bottle of vino colapso as I type this (as I do most evenings - helps me concentrate on my patterns!!).

Here is pic of my latest tattoo - the tat was only a few hours old on the pic and is covered in tat balm so that's why it is sooo shiny.

Here also are some pics of me knitting at Old Trafford the home of Manchester United. My husband drags me along to the games sometimes and I go because his company has an exec box and I can never pass up slap up meals and wine, then I knit during the game whilst all the real soccer fans look on in disgust!!

public knitting and shameless self-promotion

2007-11-28T15:18:00.000-06:00

Hi all: hope everything is well.

A couple of things: first off, I managed to get an article on my experience with public knitting published on WhipUp.net - it's a great on line mag for crafters of all types, so if interested, check it out!

Second: this is actually my most recent knitting in public (partly, anyway) project:

It is the Brioche Rib Vest from The Best of Interweave Knits. This is a bit of an unwieldly public knit as it involves using needles of two different sizes, and I'm using fairly long circulars. Thus, some flinging around of needles on the subway. People are keeping their distance. :-)

Third and last (I know I said "a couple of things", but anyway...) Holly and I have started up a cross border zombie killin' knitting-mad blog called The 49th Dimension. So, if you're bored - or if you want to learn more about American/Canadian relations! - come on over!

Cheers,

Kristina

No Knitted Gifts!--The Movement

2007-11-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

[Please note--this is a repeat of a post on my Yarnhog blog. I just wanted to share it with you, since it fits right into the Outlaw spirit. Feel free to grab the button if you want it!]

Hello, my name is Suzanne, and I am a knitaholic. There is nothing I love better than knitting, except possibly receiving knitting-related gifts. And because I feel this way, I also believe that there is nothing better to give a loved one than a knitting-related gift. If I had any loved ones who knit, I would know exactly how to make them happy for the holidays with gifts of yarn and needles and tools. But since none of my loved ones knit, I try instead to make them happy by giving them knitted gifts. This does not always work.

Hard as it is to believe, not everyone appreciates knitted gifts. Even those who have witnessed first-hand the amount of time and effort that goes into producing them may not be all that eager to find one wrapped up under the tree. No matter how lovely the yarn, how intricate the pattern, how well-executed the design, they simply are not interested in receiving, owning, or wearing wonderful, wooly things that would melt the heart of any knitter. I won't go into the many sad tales I could tell of knitted gifts that earned a resounding, "Oh...thanks," and wound up buried at the bottom of a drawer or lining a pet bed. You can probably imagine, and anyway, I don't want to make anyone cry.

So this year, in the midst of all the buzz in the blogosphere about holiday knitting and deadlines and stress, I have made a resolution. I will knit no gifts for the holidays. That's right. None. Instead, I will knit things for myself alone. I will buy the loveliest yarns and find the most beautiful patterns, and I will wrap the finished gifts in perfect, shiny wrapping paper and put them under the tree. When I unwrap them, I will ooh and ahh over the softness of the yarn and the detail of the stitches. I will exclaim over how long it must have taken and how much thought and love must have gone into each stitch. I will put them on and marvel at the fit and the comfort. And I will be happy to receive such wonderful, personal gifts. Everyone else is getting Starbucks cards.

Now...who's with me?

Knitting in Court

2007-11-20T23:18:00.000-06:00

Here in Shawnee County, Kansas, we have the Limited Actions Docket call (Limited Actions is like small claims, but the amounts are different, and you can have attorneys) at the Kansas Expocentre. I learned a long time ago to always take something to do, and I usually take my knitting.

Usually the docket is held at the Ag Hall, but today it was held at Heritage Hall, where we used to have it. Talk about a blast from the past. I managed to get the thumbs on the felted mittens I am working on set up (I do them magic loop and do both at the same time), and then I got about four or five rounds done.

Stress Knitting

2007-11-13T20:03:00.000-06:00

Ok so my middle child had surgery this morning and i was stressed....actually stressed doesn't begin to touch it! But anyway the anesthesiologist asked me to knit something to cover his stethescope that was kid friendly.........I am thinking spongebob.......pondering it! I knit on my socks like a crazy woman for the 30 minutes my middle baby was out of my sight! Damn near went insane!

breakfast knitting

2007-11-12T21:12:00.000-06:00

So I had my first negative public knitting experience. We were standing in line at a popular breakfast joint and the line is long. So I pull out my sock and start working. My boyfriend and his cousin are used to this (even though his cousin had only seen it a few times). It seems that there are a few people out there that aren't that used to it.

You see I noticed someone staring at me. So naturally i turn around to see what is going on. Just some guy about my age looking at me. So I smile and nod (just the normal thing i do) and turn back around. Next thing I know "You're in Public!" is being directed at my back. I turn back around and he's grinning like he said something really really funny. It was rather odd. But I just kept knitting. It's not like i'm trying to impress random people, i'm just keeping from being board.

The C-word

2007-11-11T12:31:00.000-06:00

I've been knitting for 20 years and knit in public all the time. But I recently crossed over to the dark side and picked up a crochet hook to make a twin-sized afghan for my son's bed out of bulky boucle yarn that simply would not allow itself to be knitted. I've since been crocheting in public, which must be an illegal act for a devoted knitter!

Knit Like An Outlaw Day part 2

2007-11-11T09:57:00.000-06:00

Is everyone ready for the knit Like An Outlaw Day?

In case you haven't heard of it, it's the day after Thanksgiving and we'll celebrate by... well... knitting like an Outlaw. Knit in public, knit at home while having Outlaw type beverages (and yes, Kool-aid counts), or knit like an Outlaw at the in-law's house. Anything goes but if you end up needing bail money it make take a day or two for the rest of us to raise the funds so CYA when possible.

sic transit mundi

2007-11-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

I did all the knitted pieces for this on public transit and during staff meetings. :-)

Far more info than you wanted to know and pictures than you wanted to see on the blog.

The Couple Who Knits Together...

2007-11-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

Knitting at a wedding? Not such a big deal, right? But what if you are the one marrying the Bride and Groom? You betcha! I am an Ordained Minister and really Really enjoy marrying folks. I've found that the half hour or so right before the ceremony is a great time to pull out the ole knitting and work away. Not only does the Bride calm down while watching the rythmic motion of my needles but one of "the Moms" is usually a knitter herself and will grab for my work to calm her own nerves. I've also found it's a great opportunity to ummm..."corrupt" a Flower Girl and/or yes, a Ring Bearer, so I always carry a "Newbie" kit of thrift-store needles and yarn for them to take home after the hoopla. I'm such an enabler. Teeheehee.
And just so y'all can see how versatile (Unstable? Whacky? Just plain weird?) I like to live life...here's a pic of me at the race track; in uniform and smiling with one of my favorite car owners and drivers. I'm trying to get his wife interested in learning to knit as they now have a young boy of their own but she says she's too busy picking up Tonka trucks, Hot Wheels and washing the race car. I'm not giving up on her though...there's always next Spring when it's still cold at the track and folks will be enviously eyeing my snazzy "uniform orange" knitted hat and scarf! Now, please tell me I'm not the only one who enjoyed left-over Halloween candy for breakfast this morning? While knitting on a piece of lace work perhaps?!?

Joining Yarn in Public

2007-11-01T11:50:00.000-05:00

I think I might have hit a high mark for Outlaw Knitters. I was knitting away on the Alice Starmore pattern Fulmar when I was inches away from the end of my yarn cake.

Luckily I had more yarn with me, but as I wasn’t paying attention and ended up in the middle of my work. This pattern is a very tight cabled sweater knitted on size 2.75 mm or US 2 needles.

What to do? Do I tink back some 100 tightly cabled stitches to the end of the row? Heck no...on the train in full blown rush hour... I spit spliced my yarn ends together. Yes fellow Outlaw Knitters, I separated the plied ends, over laid the ends then spit on my yarn and quickly felted the two together by rolling them between my palms.

I really didn’t think about it until I was rubbing this slice in my hands...hum, I wonder if anyone was looking at me thinking What The Hell?

Hope you enjoyed my spitting story;)
Cheers Outlaw Knitters!
~ Kris (AKA: KniftyRed)

Publically Declaring my Outlaw-y-ness

2007-10-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, I ride my own motorcycle. Yes, I have a tattoo (just one Mom - calm down!)Yes, I reward myself with chocolate and caffeine. And yes, I knit. And I'm proud of it. Just the other day I knit in the parking lot of a Doctor's office, in the waiting room of not one but two Doctor's office's and in a park on the way home. 4 KIP's in 1 day! When I'm on the bike, there's usually a project stowed in the saddle-bag. I love pulling up right out front of yarn shops and scaring the blue-hairs inside. I take pride in sauntering in - leather protective gear creaking, helmet swinging from a gloved hand and choosing the prettiest cashmere in the bin. I also work at a race track. A dirt race track.
I'm the Official at the dirtiest corner on the oval; Turn 1 Pit Gate. Several hundred people entrust their safety and their very lives to me each week as I guide them across the clay racing surface and into the relative safety of the pits. And yes, I knit at the race track - every week. But not when I'm working. There's a fine line between being an Outlaw Knitter and just being crazy. I like it that way! Hey, do I get Bonus Points for Spindling in Public too?

how to stay awake at a legal conference

2007-10-25T06:47:00.001-05:00

when a bunch of other lawyers are blatting on:

This is the part I worked on at the conference:

Today it's MY turn to blat on, so no knitting. :-(

More info/pics at the blog

Outlaw Knitter Knews October '07

2007-10-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

Things have been happening for this Outlaw Knitter. Some good, some annoying in that they interfere with my knitting and my blogging. But that is about to change.

I've added a couple of new items to the cafe Press shop. I also got rid of a couple of things that no one seemed interested in. If anyone planned on ordering these items, e-mail me and I can put them back up.

Did any of our Canadian members knit Like An Outlaw the day after Thanksgiving? And are any of the American members going to celebrate Knit Like An Outlaw Day US? I know I am. Maybe I'll work on a pair of socks while watching the masses stand in line at Best Buy. Or maybe I'll work on a hat while I laugh my butt off at the crazy shoppers at the mall. Or maybe I'll invite my fellow Outlaw, Bobbi, over for some knitting and a movie about Outlaws. We can plot some Outlaw Knitter escapades... like wearing our Outlaw Knitter shirts while we put up Outlaw Knitter posters on the Community Bulletin Boards at the local grocery stores and other places that Outlaw Knitters hang out.

Let us all know what you have planned!

partially public project...

2007-10-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

or "PPP" (love it when that happens!)

A combination of my two craft loves: knitting and mosaic! The knitting was done entirely on public transit, which is why I'm posting it here (and if I figure out how to do mosaic on a rush hour streetcar, I'll be very happy as I will get all of my Christmas presents done during the commute!)

For more photos and probably way more information about the project than you need, come on over to the blog. ;-)

Hello Fellow Outlaws!

2007-10-20T13:01:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to post a quick "HEY Y'ALL"! I'm a self-taught knitter of about 4 years now. I love it and am totally obsessed with knitting. I've never really understood the whole "fear of knitting in public" thing. As soon as I got the hang of it, my knitting went everywhere I did and it still does. I cannot leave my house without my knitting. Most people who know me expect it and will question me if they don't see my needles. I taught a lady to knit while waiting for my daughter during speech therapy. I've so far gotten nothing but positive feedback from others. Most people are curious and genuinely interested. The only flack I got was from my friends and family when I first picked up the needles. (The whole "grandmother's knitting" thing.) I got the last laugh....they now beg for me to knit them things. lol

I'll hush for now...just wanted to say hello and thanks for letting me join you. I'm proud to be an Outlaw Knitter!

Melanie (lilknitter on Ravelry)

I got a tee shirt!

2007-10-16T19:39:00.000-05:00

I bought an Outlaw tee shirt from cafe press, and it is great! It's pink and comfortable! Y'all should get one. It seems to be good quality, and the price isn't too bad considering prices in general.
In other news: I am addicted to knitting washcloths. I can't stop. I love how they're fast and beautiful. I truly love the practical aspect (I enjoy doing the dishes with them!), and I can't wait to give them as gifts. My daughter even uses one in the tub. If you haven't tried them, I really think you should. If you don't like the end result, I'm sure someone would be happy to have it.
Do any of you have knitting addictions? I'd love to hear about it!

You know your an outlaw

2007-10-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

I went out with some friends last night after SNB. We went to one of the yarn shops to get something. We went to the one we did because the one we wanted to go to was blocked off for the stupid football game going on. So we walk in and ask if they have the yarn my friend is looking for. They tell us no. My friend said she got it from another store ect, and then the lady working goes on about how the other store has crappy hours. WTF? I went off on her. Why on earth did she think it was ok to bash this shop to a customer?

It wasn't the owners fault that we couldn't get there and the time she closes is ok. She is open on Sat so you can get there if you want to. It just ticked me off.

The we went out to dinner and we ate in the bar so we could sit down right then and have a drink. So we sat, knit, drank and ate while all the other people in the bar watched that stupid game that made it so we couldn't get to the other store. (our server was really hot, but about 12 years old) :)

troubling news...

2007-10-11T08:26:00.002-05:00

Hi all: I just wanted to share this little tidbit I came across regarding public knitting:

Dangerous knitting? A UK hospital locks up its needles and yarn

SIGH.

Happy knitting to all of you! I've been taking a hiatus from subway knitting due to excessive amounts of work-related reading... but will hopefully be back at it in a week or so.

Sock Knitting

2007-10-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

For thirty-six years I have been a knitter. My grandmother taught me when I was eleven years old, and I would knit dishclothes, afghans, etc. At nineteen I knit my first sweater. There has never been a time in the last thirty-six years that I did not have something on knitting needles. Even when knitting wasn't in vogue, you would find me happily knitting sweaters to give as gifts, or for myself and family when it turned cold. For the first time in all those years, I just knit my first pair of socks. I don't know why I never did it. It could be the yarn selection for socks just didn't catch my eye. But my LYS has a very large amount of sock yarn currently, and there was a color of Colinette's Jitterbug that I couldn't resist. And so I knit my first pair. And now I'm addicted. I have now purchased enough different kinds of sock yarn to keep me knitting socks for years. I can't go into a knitting store now without checking out what kind of sock yarn they have. I have to say, for a project to knit in public, they are perfect. I have a small clear plastic knitting tote that is large enough to hold my sock knitting project. It's easy, portable and it now lives in my car with my current pair of socks in it. I think about all the years I hauled around huge knitting bags with whatever my current project was and I wonder what the heck I must have been thinking. From now on my project of choice to knit in public will be socks.

Just for asking...

2007-10-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

in the last post of comments. It's the only picture I have on the gift and I'm still waiting for my mother to send me one of her wearing it. The yarn was Mountain Colors Handpainted in berrys and blues.

My Intro

2007-09-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Good day to you all.

I've be an Outlaw Knitter from the very beginning (4 years) and overall my KIP experiences have been meet with good reactions. If anything it's the slight ignorance of muggles that makes me chuckle. Here's a little story to make you smile.

About a year ago, I was having some dental work done. While sitting in the chair waiting for the Doc to come see me, I sat and knit on a lovely Clapotis for my mother. I always have some WIP with me and won't even blink an eye to pull it out and knit a couple of rows. The dental assistant came and sat down...asking me questions about my project when the Doc finally came into the room. He sat down and seemed very interested in what I was doing. When he then commented:

"Gosh, that looks really complicated."

and without skipping a beat I responded with...

"And this coming from a man who works with his hands?"

He went on to say...

"Your right...that was kinda stupid to say."

Sigh. It's okay mister dentist man...I get that a lot.

Photo Shoot Knitting

2007-09-27T20:24:00.001-05:00

I posted this a few days ago on my blog but had to share it here too! :

So, my friend asked me to do makeup for one of his photo shoots, because in my former life I was a hairdresser and makeup artist. So while I will never on purpose do that professionally again, I do occasionally do it for fun. So of course I brought Bear and My knitting.

Bas has a great talent for photography and the pictures came out great!

My knitting striking a seductive pose...

This has got to break some sort of physics law right?

That's good, a little to the left...

It takes three people to stare at one girl! ;)

The kiddos were havin' fun while we worked.

Unanswered Invites

2007-09-27T12:03:00.001-05:00

If anyone has submitted an e-mail address but hasn't received a blog invite yet you may want to check your junk mail folder. You can also contact me directly through e-mail at outlawknitters@insightbb.com and I'll re-send the invite.

Little Looks.

2007-09-26T11:02:00.001-05:00

Hi all. I've been Knitting-in-Public for a long. I didn't realize at first that it was a subversive thing. :)

But yesterday was quiet the KIP day. After grabbing Halo 3 it was off to grab some coffee. There was a bit of a line so I pulled out this sock to work on. This little girl started stairing at me. It was supper cute. Her mom said "Why don't you ask the Lady what shes doing?" She was a bit to shy to do that so I said, "Hi, I'm making a Sock."

She still looked a bit lost so her mom explained that when they read Little House thats what Laura ment when she said that "Ma, knit socks for Pa". It was pretty funny. She also mentioned something about "Your mommy knew how to do that along time ago and should really start again." I hope she does. :)

Then it was training time at work, so out comes the sock again. I don't think the trainer liked it much but what ever. For some of us its easier to listen if our hand are moving. :P

So keep those needles moving, I will.

Hi, I'm Barb and I'm an Outlaw Knitter...

2007-09-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm a wanna-be. I've knit during 4H meetings. While I was a Club Leader and needed to pay attention. I knit before a big military to-do for dh (I was polite and left my knitting while the ceremony took place). I knit during Cub Scout Pack meetings, only putting my knitting down long enough to hand out awards or make announcements. Hmmm, maybe I *AM* an outlaw knitter. Awesome! :)

Tonight we had a Pack meeting and I walked up with my yarn under my arm, my counter in my pocket, and my sock in progress in my hands. :) I only knit a few rows, but I did knit. :)

Anyway, I'm glad to be here! :) Thanks!

2007-09-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

Yarn Addict said...
Love the tote bag! How about a teddy bear?

Your wish is my command! Check the shop! What else would y'all like to see offered? I can add any of the items offered by Cafe Press. And we need new designs if anyone wants to contribute something.

Knitting, it does go well with Football!

2007-09-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

Tailgating and knitting! People were nice, and actually jealous of my skills. Ok, maybe not so much of my knitting skills, but more of my jello shot, diet coke, beer, pattern balancing skills. Which, is better than a jab in the eye, or a dissertation on chewing gum.

She has shoes with a built in beer opener! Wild crowd, no?

Awesome wild crowd! New found friend Beth, with her Alpaca Beer Cozy!!! Ok, it's John's beer cozy, but Beth made a better model, and I think it was her beer.

I had to sneak my knitting in under a handknit hat. The handknit hat was also handy to bootleg in more jello shots. Nice.

Night knitting...

I only ran into one bit of trouble. The twits behind me were heckling me and asking if I could hurry up and knit them a scarf for the second half. Then they started talking about their favorite flavor of gum, and continuing to talk about gum for 10 minutes. I realized it was not worth breaking my needles by jabbing them into their eyes. Plus, I might get my knitting confiscated. But really, gum, chewing gum?

not knitting, but rather risque

2007-09-23T08:41:00.000-05:00

It's first thing on a Sunday morning, and there's a nine-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a seven-year-old singing " I like big butts and I can not lie..." out loud in the driveway. Oh, yeah, they're my kids. And they wonder why I hide behind various fibers and pointy sticks.

wannabe outlaw ...

2007-09-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hi all - and thanks to Jen for signing me up on this blog so promptly. I feel vindicated for all those years spent being the last picked for school teams... ;-)

I'm Kristina, 37, from Toronto. Pretty much my only forays into outlaw knitting have been starting public knitting during my commute and work meetings recently. Here is my current public knitting project: I only work on it when commuting, at work, or (ahem) when I've had a few as so far this project is the exception proving the "don't drink and knit rule:

It will eventually be the world's biggest and loudest log cabin blanket (have already been in touch with Guinness! ha ha). The centre of each square is a tension sample and the yarn is all scraps/remnants from projects past.

I use addi turbo needles mostly, which seem for some odd reason to strike fear in the hearts of my fellow commuters. A good way to get a seat to oneself!!

This was my first project knit almost completely in public:

And this is the only other example I can think of as "outlaw knitting" in my current collection:

A saltire G-string, knitted in bulky yarn for D(CL)H. (He is from Scotland.) I just located it the other day thrown into the back of a closet. Ingrate!! At the same time I made this (after having had a few one evening) I also made another one in funky lime green and fuschia stripes and gifted it to my co-worker/friend the next day as part of the trousseau for her upcoming wedding. She immediately put it on her head like a little bonnet and wore it all day at work (I should mention that we are lawyers and at the time I worked at our version of landlord and tenant court... so we were both dressed in full business drag). Now - THERE's an outlaw!

Cheers,

Kristina
feel free to visit me!

Our Shop Is Up And Knit Like An Outlaw Day

2007-09-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

The official Outlaw Knitters Shop is up and running. There isn't much in it yet, but it's a start. Everything is set at the base price, so it's all affordable. Anyone who has a design or an idea for a design can submit it here and we'll put it in the shop. All designs must be original. Please check out the other merchandise available through Cafe Press and let me know what you'd like to see in the shop so I can add it to our inventory. It doesn't cost anything to add it, so we can add anything you'd be interested in having.

Also... would anyone object to making November 22 (the day after Thanksgiving) "Knit Like An Outlaw Day"? This way we could use it as an excuse to celebrate it through Thanksgiving weekend. I'll post this on the Outlaw Knitters message board on Ravelry as well so we can get as many opinions as possible. If anyone has any other suggestions on what day to have it, post it or e-mail me at outlawknitters@insightbb.com.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Shop

2007-09-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

The shop should be up and running soon. More on this later.

Does Football Count?

2007-09-21T07:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, I'm going to knit like a freaking Outlaw this weekend! I mean it. Beer swilling, meat eating, (I'm the World's Worst Vegetarian) and swearing. That's just from me. I'm going to knit at a College Football Game! The Western Michignan University Broncos vs who ever is bound to beat them.

Right, so they aren't in the Big 10. I'm really not sure what they are in, but if those boys from the Appalachians can beat the University of Michigan, does it really matter?

Oh, I usually sit in my big comfy coleman camp chair, a beer in each of my cup holders, my feet propped on the cooler, mouth swearing, barking orders, or making bets, and my hands looking all dainty and proper making a baby sweater. Yes, a beer soaked baby sweater. Nice.

This year I am also going bring my project into the game. You see, I like football as much as the next person, but this is a dry stadium, so the game gets pretty boring about the time I need a beer. Yeah. I have been banned from bringing knitting in previous years, but this year, I'm an Outlaw Knitter!

Outlaw knitting

2007-09-20T21:28:00.001-05:00

Ok so the closest thing to outlaw knitting for me is at work.......I am Homeland Security for the Maine State Ferry Service. I live on an island and we have 3 ferries a day and it takes an hour to get to the mainland, and then an hour to get back to the island. I work on the island, I am armed with, a punch (think scrapbook punch) to validate tickets, a walkie talkie, and a florescent vest with reflectors. I arm myself with KnitPicks Options needles. Any terrorists come on my island I will stab them in the eyes with my pointy sticks. I enjoy my job for the most part because for half an hour at each boat time I get to socialize, and then for the other 5 hours of the day I knit! Woohoo, I have people asking questions about the projects all the time. So even when Homeland on the planes won't let you take your pointy sticks on planes, I am armed and dangerous on a teeny tiny island in Maine with mine! Watch your eyes!!!

Knit Like an Outlaw Day

2007-09-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

OK, so apparently no one on the flickr group reads the message boards, although they do post absolutely hilarious pictures of knitting beer/wine cozies. That was gut-busting! Anyway, here was my original semi-coherent suggestion

My fingers are feeling itchy, and I'm feeling misch---screw that, I can't spell it right, but I'm feeling snarky. Wouldn't it be cool to set a specific date to 'Knit Like an Outlaw' sort've like the, 'Knit in Public Day' only since we're all outlaws here, I'm assuming public knitting is the least of your escapades! But, just a day to step outside even your outlaw boundaries, and then everyone can blog about their experiences? Just a thought.

I are thinking knitting while I stand in line at my 7-11, knitting in the middle of our (fairly) quiet road, knitting outdoors in my pajamas at midnight (or in the daytime!) in my PJs, and no matter what happens, definitely knitting during the early bird wait at Circuit City after Thanksgiving, because it was freakan' boring last time, and I need those pointy sticks to wave back line breakers. (You know who you are, jerks!) And, most scandalous of all, secretly knitting during Sunday morning services, which would very outlaw, since I would have to conceal it from parents and surrounding people, who would probably be scan-de-lized.

C'mon, people, let's hear some more suggestions!

Knitting In Public... Mrs. H Style

2007-09-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

Am I an Outlaw Knitter? Oh, hell yeah, and proud of it. I knit in public. Last weekend I took my hat-in-progress to the annual Friendship Festival. But I wasn't feeling friendly. While standing in line, waiting to put my youngest Outlaw-In-Training on the rides, I pulled the hat out of my GoKnit Pouch and started to work the decreases for the crown. I was cruising right along... k7, k2tog... watching the Sizzler spinning around at breakneck speed, when I noticed them. A couple of snot-nosed little punks creeping up in line. I watched as they worked their way up, one person at a time. When they started to eye the spot in front of my little girl, I stepped up, needles glinting in the sun. My eyes narrowed as I stared them down. The skinny one started to sweat and the shorter, rounder one shuffled his feet. My needles clicked menacingly. They turned and slunk back to the end of the line. I smiled an evil little smile as I watched them go. Yeah... I'm an Outlaw Knitter. And Outlaw Knitters don't take cutting in line lightly.

Bumper Stickers

2007-09-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

Hey there sorry to drop in and out, but life is hectic at best right now..........I can give anyone the info.....I only had 3 takers on the bumper stickers so, do with it what you want....I can tell you were to get them made or you can make them elsewhere.....no biggie!

For right now I am just an outlaw.......fighting fights no one should have to fight!

Ideas

2007-09-20T13:46:00.000-05:00

So many ideas from so many people! And every one of them good! Like Yarn Addict's idea to set up something up on Cafe Press. This really needs to be discussed. Like if someone wants to add a design, how would we work it out?

herzeleidknits wanted to know about a design she's been discussing with a friend. I say, hell yeah! If you have an idea, go for it! Draw it up and post it. We do need to discuss how it would be distributed, etc. but I'm all for everyone having the freedom to add designs to the group.

There was also an idea posted by clever_lye over on the Flickr group about setting a date to Knit Like An Outlaw. I think this idea rocks. If you're reading this clever_lye, please post something here on the blog so we can discuss it. This one is your baby... run with it!

And hdw... what about the bumper stickers? Is there enough interest to do this? What will it take to make it happen? Let me know what needs done, and I'll do what I can to help get it going.

If anybody has any ideas, post them! This group belongs to all of us and whatever you can come up with to promote the idea of Outlaw Knitting is welcome. Or you can always e-mail me at outlawknitters@insightbb.com. Let's get our ideas out there for the world to see.

Outlaw Knews, Part 2

2007-09-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

We're on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/outlawknitters/

Hope to see everyone there.

Church Knitting

2007-09-18T07:19:00.000-05:00

I slapped my outlaw self in the head when I remembered. Church knitting!

Every other week, or so, about 20 teenagers get together at my church. There are lectures about various subjects, and it's fairly informal. But I sure as heck was the only one knitting a sock while I listened! To prove I was listening, I participated just as I always do---by waiting for a few seconds, realizing that the quiet people are still quiet, and answering the question.

I knit, talked, and when I felt the slightest twinge, smirked to myself. I am an Outlaw Knitter! I don't need no stinkin' approval!

Oh, and with that new logo----we need to put it on a bag or something, it's awesome.

Outlaw Knews

2007-09-17T13:23:00.000-05:00

Things are happening slowly, but surely, for the Outlaw Knitters. If you'll take a look at the sidebar, you'll notice we now have an e-mail address and a nifty link for it. We can now send and recieve official Outlaw Knitter e-mail.

Also... my eldest offspring, Sarah, has drawn up a yarn ball "skull" with crossed needles for us. She's working on it in a paint program now, so we can use it on the blog and whatever else we can come up with. I'm thinking t-shirts would be good if there's enough interest, but that's something for the future. But for now, here he is...

The Outlaw Knitter's Yarn Ball-y Roger. Ain't he cute? She's making a few minor changes, and will send him to me as soon as she's done.

Hope you all like him. Let me know what you think.

My knitting bag

2007-09-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a lover of shopping for knitting bags. I mean, I have so many WIP's that I'm constantly needing something to carry them around in. The handled shopping bags you get at the LYS are good project bags, but also not so good since I'm in a part of the country that gets a lot of rain. And while the knitting bags they sell at the LYS's are really nice, you can easily spend a C-note on one and besides, they are so...damn...GIRLY! I LOVE the in-your-face attitude of these posts, and so to prove I'm a true Outlaw Knitter, here's my rant.

I've been after a new knitting bag for the past couple days, and the ones in my price range are either so flowery they could be cosmetic bags, or just plain BUTT UGLY. I wanted something that was both cheap AND hip. So, I went on Ebay and bought this bag off someone in Thailand. If I actually receive it, I'll consider it a plus.

Now I'll bet dollars to donuts that NOBODY in my town of uber-hip knitters will have a project tote bag quite like this! I figure that by the amount of public knitting I do, in waiting rooms, on trains, etc., I stick out anyway, so I might as well go balls-to-the-wall.

Outlaw in Spirit

2007-09-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

OK. My confession: the most outlaw knitting that I have ever done is to sit on a bench in the front of a Walmart and knit during the busiest time of the day. This wasn't actually intentional, and I wasn't knitting, I was practicing what I thought was a purl stitch, but wasn't. But since then, I've never felt uneasy about whipping out my knitting in public, and knitting before various people.

I am a lonely knitter, as well. To spend $28.50 on yarn seems criminal to my family. What is so great about it? When I say that it is Sundara yarn, now unavailable in the lovely Brier Rose colorway, their eyes glaze over. They do not get it. I just wish that it would come in the mail!

I am outlaw in spirit. I refuse to be intimidated or beaten. I refuse to join the ranks of those who sob and say, "I just can't do this, it is too hard! Wah!". Maybe this is just post-first-sock syndrome (I don't even think the Yarn Harlot has used that one) but I can now look at all those glossy Learn2Knit, EZ-Knits, and other books, and feel bored. I long for something brilliant, complex and simple...oh, and by the way, did I mention that I'm still working on the second sock?

Anyway, I am very happy to be able to join those of Like Mind, the Outlaw Knitters.

Babs

Representin'

2007-09-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

I went to the Perry Farrell Satellite Party concert the other night and wore my "YARRRRRRN" t-shirt. (Pics and such on my blog). Knitters Represent!! We need to get Outlaw Knitter t-shirts for such events. While I was sitting around beforehand my brain was screaming because I didn't have any knitting with me. GRRR! I had just removed the project bag from the car before picking my sis up for the show. If I would have had it with me...I would have brought it in ...much to the chagrin (I'm sure) of my sis and boyfriend.

Grr.......

2007-09-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

Ok so I was on the mainland yesterday and it was a bad day from the get go, the ferry broke down and we went from a 17 car ferry that takes an hour to get from our rock in the middle of the penobscot bay to a 9 car ferry that takes almost 2 hours........anyway 2 of my 3 kids had appointments at different places! I took my daughter to the dentist and I was working on my baby blanket (grr check the blog for more on this hellish dang thing) the receptionist said " aren't you to young to be knitting? I thought there was a grandmother requirement or something?" I just looked at her with a dumb founded expression........THEN when we took the middle son to have him rescreened (he flunked his preschool screening, Grr) The lady that screened him asked what I was knitting and I said a baby blanket, to which she said....hmm that is kind of an odd color for a baby......I am not much on green. I just did the old humph, meanwhile this dialog in my head was rolling. "Like I am F'ing knitting it for you Beeyotch, I don't know you amd I did not ask for your opinion. " Bah sometimes I am so not a people person. The whole day was awful....aside from Bud passing the tests with flying colors, they tested him up to a 4 year level and then they just stopped because he was fine.......he just turned 3 in August. So now I can thumb my nose at those a holes that keep throwing around autism and special ed lightly. My son is FINE......THANK GOD.......and my daughter has no cavities. But as or the rest of the day.....let's just call it a wash!

Knit with Snot joins the Outlaws

2007-09-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

Howdy Fellow Outlaws! I've always wanted to join a gang! I think I might just fit in here!

Let's see, yesterday I dropped all my pigs off at school, spent an hour at the LYS and matched up Cascade yarn to NFL Team colors, then went to Panera Bread with the new Knit.1 magazine and Interweave Crochet.

When I was in line to order I was like I really want to get a pumpkin muffin, but that chocolate pastry thing looks good too. Then I thought, I'm here reading knitting and crochet magazines alone, and besides I'M AN OUTLAW KNITTER, I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!

Yeah, I ordered both, and a latte, and an iced tea. Then I went home, knit a hat and called back a telemarketer to tell them about the lovely day I had at my LYS and why they should start knitting and stop being a telemarketer. They hung up on me. Take that DVD club. It was all very Fried Green Tomatoes "I'm older and I have better insurance." So for me it's "I Knit with Snot, and I'm now an Outlaw." Talk about a tshirt.

You have to check this out!

2007-09-14T01:17:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it when I saw these. They are just amazing:

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/06/knit-night-cupcakes/

Now here is where I say something snarky like, I'd rather be knitting for real or, here is someone with WAY too much time on their hands... lol

Outlaws On Ravelry

2007-09-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

I finally got my Ravelry invite and have set up an Outlaw Knitters group there. So if you're on Ravelry and I haven't added you as a friend and/or sent you the group invite, look me up (I'm MrsAych there) and I'll add you. This has been a busy week IRL so my mind is pretty much reeling with everything I need to do both online and off.

If you haven't received a Ravelry invite yet, hang in there. It'll come. And as soon as you get it, let me know so I can add you to my friends list and invite you to the Outlaw Knitters group.

If you haven't signed up for an invite yet, go do it! Right this minute!

I'm an outlaw now!

2007-09-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo, I have just become an outlaw knitter! I changed my profile name to something much more appropriate. lol

The Blog for my work is going to wonder who I am, but they'll figure out it.

My name is Leslie, and I'm a yarn addict. :) Hence, the name.

I'm really looking forward to telling you some of my wacky knitting stories. We're going to have a great time.

Joining The Outlaw Knitters

2007-09-11T19:38:00.000-05:00

Wings Senior Editor said...
How do I become an outlaw knitter? I just found your blog and love it!

All I need is an e-mail address to send the invite to. If you don't want to leave it here in the comments, just go to my blog I Like Yarn and send it to me through the contactify link on the sidebar. I'll be setting up an e-mail account for this page soon, but until then I can be reached through my personal knitting blog. We hope to hear from you soon!

This is AWESOME...

2007-09-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

What a great idea! Thanks for the invite. I have a couple of outlaw knitting stories from this weekend. I'm pretty much the only KIPer in my town, I think. So, I make it a point to knit EVERYWHERE I go. Saturday, we went tailgating at the old alma mater for the football game, and I proceeded to plop down in a chair and work on my Chevron Scarf. I'm sure that I was a sight in the midst of a bunch of rowdy, drunk football fans, but I did get a couple of inches done. A year ago, the husband would have been MORTIFIED with the thought of me knitting in front of all of his friends, but he was just sitting there, grinning. I asked, "are you embarrassed?" and he said, "not at all." So--either he's coming around and becoming the Ultimate Outlaw Knitting Husband...or the effects of all of the bourbon he had consumed were working out in my favor.

Bumper Sticker

2007-09-07T19:50:00.003-05:00

Ok so I found a place where I can make this bumper sticker but the minimum order is 10, and I don't want 10.....and since DH still has no job I can afford to spend on frivolous stuff.......sooooooooif anyone is interested in them and wants to pre order and pre pay I would be happy to get them made up, they would be $3.50 and that would cover shipping too.......let me know how many and depending on the interest I will let you know where and how much! They will be crystal clear, not fuzzy like the pic below.....I had to take a screen shot and post it that way....after resizing it is a bit blurry but you get the picture!
--Heather

P.S. I know you don't really know me, but I am not a scam artist I promise.....I swear on my first born that if you want one and we go through with it and I get them you Will get what you paid for!!!!! I PROMISE....I am so leary of online ploys, I probably still wouldn't believe me!

2007-09-06T20:03:00.001-05:00

Outlaw Knitters Rock!

2007-09-06T08:05:00.000-05:00

Y'all rock! When I first decided to start a gang of knitters, I was only half serious. But then I read posts on message boards about how people can be quite rude to knitters who knit in public. Or worse yet, people in yarn shops actually treat the knitters who don't fit the mold of sweet old granny in a rocking chair like they don't belong. So I decided this was going to be a serious attempt to give knitters a place to vent, as well as a way to say, "I am an Outlaw Knitter, I am armed with pointy sticks, don't mess with me!"

Is there humor involved in this group? Of course! There has to be humor, as well as occasional sarcasm. How would we get through these situations with muggles if we didn't laugh or utter the occasional biting comment? We'd most likely impale them on our needles and risk a stay in prison where knitting needles wouldn't be allowed. Trust me on this one. Mr. H works in a prison. Kniting needles would be considered a possible weapon. Heh... doesn't that just prove that knitters can be outlaws?

At any rate... thank you all for joining the gang. And thanks for sharing your Outlaw Knitter stories. I look forward to getting to know all of you better.

Close Encounters

2007-09-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

Four days a week, I have a 1 1/2 hour commute to and from work. Mornings I can usually doze off on my bus seat, but the afternoons I knit. Normally its a great chance to unwind before I go home: I knit on my socks, listen to knitting podcasts on my iPod, no one sits next to me because I'm wielding 5 sharp pointy sticks. Life is good.

Then, every once in a while you have one of those close encounters of the third kind. I am off in knitting nirvana one afternoon, happily knitting away on yet another sock, a "gentlemen" actually dares to sit next to me. Now just about all the regulars on the bus give me a fair amount of leeway. No one has sat next to me in months, no matter how crowded the bus gets. I refrain from making a few choice comments as the guy bumps my hand, causes my iPod to drop on the floor (thank goodness I bought that really good case hubby insisted on) and generally makes a nuisance of himself for a good 5 minutes. I diligently ignore him: people like this should be ignored, saying anything generally makes them worse, not better.

"Gentlemen": What are you crocheting?

Me: *Off in my own little world with Lime & Violet* Hmm...what did you say?

"Gentlemen": (In voice that is reserved for talking to deaf people) What are you crocheting?

Me: It's not crochet; it's knitting and it's a sock.

"Gentlemen": No, you are crocheting. My grandmother crocheted just like that.

Me: No, this is knitting, I'm working with double pointed needles.

Said gentlemen continued to insist for the next hour that I was crocheting, that knitting must be the new slang term for it, and on and on about his grandmother's crocheting. I refrained from poking him to death with the dpns, but only out of love for the dpns and not wanting to get blood on my socks. Does this qualify me for knitting nirvana now?

Woo Hoo I'm an Outlaw

2007-09-03T13:28:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I don't really have an Outlaw story yet but I just wanted to post about how happy I am to be here. It's exciting to be a gang member.

2007-09-03T08:45:00.000-05:00

Well, Outlaw ladies, the worst has happened. My honey won't let me charge anymore! It makes me want to buy all four Alice Walker treasuries, another set of Denises, and enough Qiviut for a sweater. I just won a set of Addis on Ebay. How am I supposed to pay for them? Just because my stash is the size of Rhode Island doesn't mean that I don't need more!
Actually, I decided that I need some yummy soft yarns to knit some thongs. My hoo-ha needs pampering, too. Silk and bamboo would be nice.
I know now what makes me an outlaw - I'm selfish! I knit for me, first and foremost. Yes, I'm making a clapotis for DD, but that's so she won't use mine. I'm still a 2-year-old - mine mine mine! I spend more on knitting than groceries. I'm worth it. (maybe some would think I need therapy)
That's all for now. I have a date with my fellow knitter.
Knitters ROCK!

Hello all!!

2007-09-02T06:21:00.000-05:00

Thank you for the invite!!! Can't wait to hear some stories! And I know it will be fun!

--Heather

Welcome Outlaws!

2007-09-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Outlaw Knitters are officially official. Blogwise anyway. This blog is for any Outlaw Knitter to post to. If you have an Outlaw Knitting story (true or not), post it. If you just want to complain about muggles, this would be the place to do it. If you want to share knitting pics, ideas, jokes, whatever... this blog's for you. Just have fun with it.